Fireproof
by cranesinthesky
Summary: Part of the RJD Trope Thursday's Richonne Writing Network Challenge. Prompt Category: Career Rick, Prompt Name: Firefighter Rick. It's just another day on the job for Rick Grimes, but this time he encounters a woman that is hard to forget.


"Truck 81, Ambulance 51. House fire. 500 block West Harrison Street."

The alarm blared loudly throughout Fire Station 27, the red lights flashing brightly against the concrete white walls as all of the on-call firefighters changed quickly into their heavy gear. Within a few minutes, they were in the truck and out on the road, the sirens ringing through the streets. They weaved through the late afternoon traffic, then through the residential neighborhood of their destination.

Rick could see the gray pillows of smoke before they even turned on to West Harrison street. He grabbed his helmet in preparation, ready to jump out of the truck once it stopped to get to work.

The truck pulled up in front of a two-story house that was engulfed in flames. A group of people stood on the next door neighbor's lawn, looking on in concern as the orange flames danced wildly with the gray smoke. One young Asian man from the group stepped up to the firefighters as soon as they jumped from the truck, his eyes wide with fear and worry.

"There's a woman that lives here," he told them in a panicked voice. "I don't think she got out."

After the chief yelled out his commands, Rick pushed his way into the house, his fellow firefighter and good friend, Shane, right behind him. They searched through each room on quick feet, desperate to find the woman.

A scream from upstairs caught Rick's attention.

"Got something!"

Rick bounded up the stairs, following the frantic screams. He kicked open the closed bedroom door and was immediately met with more smoke and flames that surrounded the bed. As he moved closer in, he saw a figure by the window, her face coming into view.

She was scared, tears rolling down her face as she tried to open the window to escape.

"Hey!" He yelled out to her, lightly touching her on the shoulder to not frighten her even more, but with enough grip to know that he was there. "Are you hurt?"

She nodded, glancing down at her hands and wrists. Rick looked down as well, noticing that not only were her hands shaking profusely, they were also burned all the way past her wrists.

"Come on, let's get you out of here." He told her before scooping her up into his arms and carrying her out of the house, using his body to shield her away from the flames.

She still had her face pressed into his coat when he walked outside, clutching onto him for dear life as if they weren't on clear ground now. Rick rested his chin on the top of her head assuringly, to help ease her fear, as he went straight towards the ambulance. The paramedics were ready with an empty stretcher, the rest of the firefighters working to clear the fire.

"You're okay now," he whispered as he situated her on the stretcher. She unwillingly let go of him, staring back at him with large brown eyes as the paramedics began to check her vitals and burns. She was still scared, he noticed, her body tense with shock and most likely pain as she was hoisted into the ambulance. Her eyes never left his until the doors closed between them, breaking the connection.

He watched as the ambulance sped away with the precious cargo in their care, the sirens still ringing in his ears long after they had gone.

During his five years on duty, he had saved hundreds of people. During those years, he had also lost quite a few people, the scenes of their last moments still haunting him daily. He often thought of ways he could have saved them, what he could have done differently. It was a never ending thought for him. He would check in on the victims and their families periodically, making sure that they were doing well, to know that they were not alone.

This woman didn't have anyone. She was alone.

So he went to the hospital after his shift to check in on her. She was sleeping when he arrived, her body free from any tension. She looked peaceful in bed, her locs spread out over the pillow like a fan.

He took a seat in the chair by her bed, sighing in relief at her diagnoses. According to the nurses, she was going to be okay. The burns weren't extreme but they would definitely need some care. She had some smoke inhalation that required her to stay for observation, but the doctor wasn't too worried.

Still, he didn't want her to be by herself when she woke up.

He stayed by her bed for hours, keeping himself busy by looking through his cell phone and thumbing through the magazines that he had taken from the waiting room. He had almost succumbed to the sleepiness that had snuck up on him when she moved slightly, her eyes fluttering open and immediately finding his.

"Hi," he said nervously, his heart racing in his chest. He hoped that she was okay with his presence.

The smile on her face told him that she was. "Hi." She paused for a second as if she was trying to place his face. "You're the man that saved me." It came out more as a statement than a question.

He nodded. "Yes. I just wanted to make sure you had some company when you woke up. A familiar face." Insecurity began to set in, suddenly uncertain if he should be there at all. Surely, she must have had someone else to check in on her. Family, friends…. And as beautiful as she was, a boyfriend.

"That means a lot." Her voice came out raspy and she tried to clear her throat.

Rick reached for the cup of water he had set down by her bedside earlier, moving the straw to her lips for a quick drink.

Once finished she sat back against her pillows, letting out a satisfied sigh. Rick gave her a quick rundown of what the doctors had told him, watching as her eyes started glistening with tears when she looked down at her gauzed wrapped hands.

"I don't know what happened. One minute I was in the bedroom studying for the LSAT, the next I wake up and see flames everywhere and-"

"Hey, don't do that to yourself," he stopped her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She enjoyed his touch, his big, calloused hand sending shivers down to her toes. "Get some rest. You've had a long day."

But her mind kept reeling, thinking back to all she had lost and what she could've done to prevent it. She tried to think back on how bad the fire was. Were all of her belongings gone?

"My house, how is it?" she asked, though scared to hear the answer.

Rick shook his head, grief pressing over his face. He tried to hide it, but the painful truth was that the house was left in shambles and barely any of her belongings made it through.

"Oh," she concluded, her eyes lowering with disappointment. She wiped at her eyes before looking back at him again. "Thank you for checking in on me."

"Of course," he nodded. "My work doesn't stop once the fire is over. At least, that's what I like to believe."

A nurse popped in, smiling at the both of them as she walked over to check on Michonne's vitals. Rick stepped back to give them some room, glancing at his watch in the process. It was late and he figured he should get going for her to get some rest. For him to get some rest after a long and grueling day.

He said his goodbyes, his head telling him to do it for good while his gut told him not to. He felt incomplete as he walked out of the hospital and to his pickup truck as if he had somehow failed his duties. Somehow failed her. His job was to make sure she was okay and though she seemed fine, he still had to make sure he saw her through this with someone by her side.

So he visited her the next day after his shift and the day after that. He brought in food for them to munch on, books for her to read and even an LSAT preparation guide that he had found at a local bookstore during his lunch break. They sat, ate and talked about their lives as if they had known each other for years, learning things about each other with each passing minute.

He found out that she was new to town, having moved in a little over a month ago. She worked at an art gallery while prepping for law school. She had recently broken up with her boyfriend, a reveal that made Rick just a little too happy.

She found out that he only listened to country music, lived in this same town all of his life and had also recently broken up with his on again, off again girlfriend… for good this time. Her heart fluttered at the details.

They had grown close during her days spent at the hospital, each thinking of the other whenever Rick left for his shift, but as the end of Michonne's stay neared, they found themselves wishing that they had more time together. Time was ticking and pretty soon they would be back trying to piece together of what to do next with the lives.

Michonne glanced over at Rick sitting beside her on the bed, toying with the shrimp fried rice that he had ordered for them. She would miss those brown curls and the heavy southern accent that he blessed her with each day, the sound taking her back to when he had saved her during the worst.

"So what happens now?" he asked softly, looking over at her with pained eyes. Reality had set in and their time together would soon come to an end, this he knew. He waited with eagerness for her to answer, thinking that maybe she had a resolution to all of this.

She let out a shaky breath as she set aside her own bowl of food. She had already made arrangements earlier that day, keeping the details to herself because she didn't want to disrupt the good moments that they had going on.

"I have a friend that lives in Philadelphia," she told him, keeping her voice steady so emotion wouldn't take over. "She offered for me to stay with her until I figure out what to do next."

He nodded, careful to keep his gaze away from hers so she wouldn't see the disappointment that flooded his blue iris'. "That sounds like a plan," he rasped out.

A sad smile lifted the corners of her mouth. "Not the perfect plan that I wanted, but it's something." She reached to place her hand on his, the touch only igniting the flames of connection that had started between them. "It's only temporary," she assured him. "I'll be back."

"I know you will," he drawled out. She looked like a woman who kept her word and that brought him some comfort.

He brought her fingers to his lips for a quick kiss, surprising both of them in the process for the bold move. But it was worth it and there was no denying the fire that had started between them throughout the time they had spent together over the past couple of days.

"Just promise you'll keep in touch?" he suggested, notes of hope swirling through his voice.

She answered by pulling him closer to her, resting her forehead against his. Her fingers ran through his curls, ignoring the pain from the burns on her hands. This was worth it.

"I will," she promised.

Rick left the hospital that day filled with happiness, pride, and excitement, the first time in a long time that he had felt that way. He walked into the hospital feeling the same way the next day before his shift, eager to see what the future had in store for him and Michonne.

He walked into her room to see an empty bed and the belongings that she had gone. He stopped dead in his tracks, thinking the worst had happened while he was away overnight. His heart started to race, the thumping in his ears as his breath quickened.

"Sir?" A nurse walked up behind him, a concerned look on her face.

"The- the patient here- Michonne-" he sputtered out, trying to make sense of it all.

"She was discharged this morning," the nurse explained. She smiled at the look of relief that washed over his face. "Are you Rick Grimes? She wanted me to give you this."

She passed him a folded up piece of paper before walking out, leaving him to read it alone. He stared at the paper in his hands then opened and stared at Michonne's perfect penmanship of the short but sweet note, his eyes tracing each and every letter to embed it in his mind. She left an address and the house phone number, promising that she would be in touch soon.

He looked forward to it.

* * *

He wrote letters to her every week, called her only once a week as well to give her some space while she was in her transition period. But each letter was written and every call made was met with silence. A month flew by and still no word from Michonne.

All hope of what Rick thought that the future held deteriorated with each week. A part of him wanted to stop trying to communicate, seeing as to how he wasn't getting an answer, but he kept on anyway. He knew her; she always kept her word and he refused to believe otherwise.

Maybe she was gotten hurt again and the thought alone caused him to tense up with worry. He decided to make a trip up to Philadelphia to visit her, just in case something had happened. He knew she had friends that surrounded her but he still couldn't process the thought of her going through something without him by her side.

He couldn't process the thought of knowing that he wasn't there, to begin with.

During some downtime during his shift, he downloaded the directions to her friend's house in Philly and booked a hotel close by for the following weekend. He switched a shift with Shane to add one more day to his getaway, even made sure his truck was good and ready for the long drive up.

He was sitting outside of the station thumbing through his phone on facebook for any signs of Michonne, while simultaneously making small talk with Shane who was cooking some ribs on the grill when they heard some footsteps approaching them.

"Hey, Grimes!" Abraham Ford yelled from behind them, his loud voice perfect yelling out commands. It was probably one of the reasons why he was made Captain. "You got a visitor in the office."

Rick frowned as he stood and made his way inside, wondering who it could be. People hardly ever visited him at work, not even his ex-girlfriend and even then it was because she either wanted something or was just there to tell him off about a little thing that could've waited until later to be discussed. He didn't miss those days.

But he surely did miss the sight that stood in the office and he almost fell back in disbelief when he saw her.

She stood by the window, the sun beaming around her as if she was an angel in person. Her hair was pulled up into a neat bun, her skin glowing against her maxi orange dress. Her hands were still wrapped in gauze and despite the hot weather, she wore a long-sleeved white sweater that covered the burns on her wrists and arms. He wanted to tell her that she looked beautiful in any way shape or form, but all he could do was breathe a sigh of relief as he took her in his arms, burying his face in her hair as he breathed in the scent of her.

"I'm sorry," her teary voice made him pull her in even closer, never wanting to let go.

"Don't be," he stressed, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "You don't ever have to be sorry."

"I was scared at first," she said, pulling away from but taking his hand in hers to keep the contact between them. "That you wouldn't see me the same way after I left. That maybe we would just keep in touch but still go on with our lives, but then I felt this sort of emptiness every day without you there." Tears started to slip down her face and he reached out to brush them away. "I want to try and make us work," she whispered.

He locked his eyes with hers, couldn't contain himself to keep the genuine smile from off of his face. "I would love that."

 _A/N: Week 3 of the RJD Thursday Tropes. Please be sure to check out weeks 1, 2 and the remaining that will follow :) They're pretty amazing._


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